Simon Hoyle has been a finance journalist for more than 25 years – a finance journalist because the football and motorsports rounds at The Age were filled when he was awarded a cadetship. He worked on BRW and Personal Investment magazines, and was part of the team that launched Money Management. Hoyle spent 11 years at the Australian Financial Review before moving on to be an investment writer for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian. He was appointed editor of Professional Planner in November 2007.

Glenn Freeman is a senior journalist for Professional Planner. He has around three years’ experience in financial services journalism, having also covered broader areas of business including M&A activity and energy. His journalistic experience includes five years spent abroad, where he was editor of an oil and gas title in the United Arab Emirates along with other in-house and freelance projects, which included stints in motorcycle and automotive journalism.

Divide and conquer: Tailor content to small groups

During the Australian Open tennis last month, the host broadcaster appeared to use the tournament as a pure marketing exercise, throwing at viewers increasingly more “after the tennis” plugs. Possibly worse were the mindless interviews with personalities associated with the network, including participants from the sporting code it broadcasts in winter. Even worse, some of these conversations meant the audience missed the opportunity to watch an international superstar, Roger Federer, at work. Viewers expressed their displeasure.

To be fair, the broadcaster has plenty of skin in its winter coverage; however, this example demonstrates that getting marketing messages through is becoming an increasing challenge for firms in the digital age. So, how can you stand out from the clutter in a way that won’t annoy your clients?

If you want your marketing efforts to shine through, think outside the box a little; for example, talk about issues that interest your clients. If you’re marketing to retirees, perhaps speak to them about their housing or travel plans.

The point is that talking only about finances and investments won’t necessarily build the relationship. Your clients already know you’re a financial expert, but do you understand their lifestyle goals and challenges?

Be valuable

When marketing, you’re expecting a reaction to your efforts; therefore, think about what you’re offering. Two guidelines come to mind.

Don’t make it all about you: Make sure there’s something of value for the client. It might be a video blog providing three tips about estate planning free of charge. The idea is to deliver thought leadership that gives clients value they can readily identify and easily access, without spending a cent.

Do make it relevant: If you want to offer a carrot to entice clients or leads, maybe a free seat at a seminar you’re running will resonate; however, the seminar must be relevant. There’s no point inviting Millennials to a session about retirement living options. Be clear on why it’s something your target audience wants.

Stay focused and do some segmenting

Personalisation is a fantastic way of marketing to your client database. The more information you have about your client, the better. Data is king, so don’t be afraid to ask clients for information about their interests.

It’s not exactly rocket science. If you understand that a group of clients is interested in self-managed super funds, then you can tailor content and campaigns to address this subject.

The best way to gain cut through with clients is to understand them. If you’re not doing that, then you’re just throwing out a campaign in the hope that someone finds it interesting. My advice is to sit down with your marketing resource and spend some time segmenting your existing and prospective clients into groups. I promise it will be worth the time, investment and effort in the long run.